Various processes comprising alkylation and/or transalkylation are known to produce monoalkylaromatic products such as isopropylbenzene, which is also known as cumene, or ethylbenzene in high yields. However, such processes are not without problems including the production of undesirable by-products. Examples of such by-products produced in conjunction with cumene include alkylating agent oligomers, heavy polyaromatic compounds and unwanted monoalkylated and dealkylated compounds such as n-propylbenzene, butylbenzenes and ethylbenzene. The production of unwanted xylenes is a particular problem in the production of ethylbenzene. Another problem with such processes concerns the use of Friedel Crafts catalysts such as solid phosphoric acid or aluminum chloride. The phosphoric acid catalysts generally require the use of a water co-feed which produces corrosive sludge by-product. Problems concerning the sludge by-product can be avoided by the use of certain crystalline microporous molecular sieves as catalysts. However, major drawbacks of the use of zeolite catalysts include the production of undesirable by-products and relatively rapid deactivation of the catalyst requiring timely and costly replacement or reactivation.
Crystalline microporous molecular sieves are ordered, porous, crystalline material having a definite crystalline structure as determined by x-ray diffraction, within which there are a large number of smaller cavities which may be interconnected by a number of still smaller channels or pores. The dimensions of these pores are such as to allow for adsorption of molecules with certain dimensions while rejecting those of large dimensions. The interstitial spaces or channels formed by the crystalline network enable molecular sieves such as crystalline silicates, crystalline aluminosilicates, crystalline silicoalumino phosphates, and crystalline aluminophosphates, to be used as molecular sieves in separation processes and catalysts and catalyst supports in a wide variety of hydrocarbon conversion processes.
Within a pore of the crystalline molecular sieve, hydrocarbon conversion reactions such the alkylation, and transalkylation of aromatics are governed by constraints imposed by the size of the molecular sieve. Reactant selectivity occurs when a fraction of the feedstock is too large to enter the pores to react; while product selectivity occurs when some of the products can not leave the channels or do not subsequently react. Product distribution can also be altered by transition state selectivity in which certain reactions can not occur because the reaction transition state is too large to form within the pores. Selectivity can also result from configuration constraints on diffusion where the dimensions of the molecule approach that of the pore system. Non-selective reactions on the surface of the molecular sieve are generally not desirable as such reactions are not subject to the shape selective constraints imposed on those reactions occurring within the channels of the molecular sieve.
Zeolites are comprised of a lattice of silica and optionally alumina combined with exchangeable cations such as alkali or alkaline earth metal ions. Although the term "zeolites" includes materials containing silica and optionally alumina, it is recognized that the silica and alumina portions may be replaced in whole or in part with other oxides. For example, germanium oxide, tin oxide, phosphorous oxide, and mixtures thereof can replace the silica portion. Boron oxide, iron oxide, titanium oxide, gallium oxide, indium oxide, and mixtures thereof can replace the alumina portion. Accordingly, the terms "zeolite", "zeolites" and "zeolite material", as used herein, shall mean not only materials containing silicon and, optionally, aluminum atoms in the crystalline lattice structure thereof, but also materials which contain suitable replacement atoms for such silicon and aluminum, such as gallosilicates, silicoaluminophosphates (SAPO) and aluminophosphates (ALPO). The term "aluminosilicate zeolite", as used herein, shall mean zeolite materials consisting essentially of silicon and aluminum atoms in the crystalline lattice structure thereof.
Numerous processes have been proposed for the isomerization, alkylation, or transalkylation of aromatic hydrocarbon. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,790 involves a xylene isomerization process using an alumina bound zeolite catalyst. U.S. Pat. No. 5,227,558 involves an aromatic alkylation process using a zeolite beta catalyst bound by a binder such as aluminia.
Synthetic zeolites are normally prepared by the crystallization of zeolites from a supersaturated synthesis mixture. The resulting crystalline product is then dried and calcined to produce a zeolite powder. Although the zeolite powder has good adsorptive properties, its practical applications are severely limited because it is difficult to operate fixed beds with zeolite powder. Therefore, prior to using the powder in commercial processes, the zeolite crystals are usually bound.
The zeolite powder is typically bound by forming a zeolite aggregate such as a pill, sphere, or extrudate. The extrudate is usually formed by extruding the zeolite in the presence of a non-zeolitic binder and drying and calcining the resulting extrudate. The binder materials used are resistant to the temperatures and other conditions, e.g., mechanical attrition, which occur in various hydrocarbon conversion processes. Examples of binder materials include amorphous materials such as alumina, silica, titania, and various types of clays. It is generally necessary that the zeolite be resistant to mechanical attrition, that is, the formation of fines which are small particles, e.g., particles having a size of less than 20 microns.
Although such bound zeolite aggregates have much better mechanical strength than the zeolite powder, when such a bound zeolite is used for aromatics conversion, the performance of the zeolite catalyst, e.g., activity, selectivity, activity maintenance, or combinations thereof, can be reduced because of the binder. For instance, since the binder is typically present in an amount of up to about 50 wt. % of zeolite, the binder dilutes the adsorption properties of the zeolite aggregate. In addition, since the bound zeolite is prepared by extruding or otherwise forming the zeolite with the binder and subsequently drying and calcining the extrudate, the amorphous binder can penetrate the pores of the zeolite or otherwise block access to the pores of the zeolite, or slow the rate of mass transfer to the pores of the zeolite which can reduce the effectiveness of the zeolite when used in aromatic conversion processes. Furthermore, when the bound zeolite is used in aromatic conversion processes, the binder may affect the chemical reactions that are taking place within the zeolite and also may itself catalyze undesirable reactions which can result in the formation of undesirable products.